Department of Biological Sciences, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, 49931, USA.
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Plant Epigenetics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China.
Plant Cell Rep. 2018 Mar;37(3):515-528. doi: 10.1007/s00299-017-2246-5. Epub 2018 Jan 9.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of endogenous noncoding small RNAs frequently 21 nucleotides long. miRNAs act as negative regulators of their target genes through sequence-specific mRNA cleavage, translational repression, or chromatin modifications. Alterations of the expression of a miRNA or its targets often result in a variety of morphological and physiological abnormalities, suggesting the strong impact of miRNAs on plant development. Here, we review the recent advances on the functional studies of plant miRNAs. We will summarize the regulatory networks of miRNAs in a series of developmental processes, including meristem development, establishment of lateral organ polarity and boundaries, vegetative and reproductive organ growth, etc. We will also conclude the conserved and species-specific roles of plant miRNAs in evolution and discuss the strategies for further elucidating the functional mechanisms of miRNAs during plant development.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) 是一组内源性非编码小 RNA，通常长度为 21 个核苷酸。miRNAs 通过序列特异性 mRNA 切割、翻译抑制或染色质修饰，作为其靶基因的负调控因子发挥作用。miRNA 或其靶基因表达的改变通常导致各种形态和生理异常，表明 miRNA 对植物发育有很强的影响。在这里，我们回顾了植物 miRNA 功能研究的最新进展。我们将总结 miRNA 在一系列发育过程中的调控网络，包括分生组织发育、侧生器官极性和边界的建立、营养和生殖器官的生长等。我们还将总结植物 miRNA 在进化中的保守和物种特异性作用，并讨论进一步阐明 miRNA 在植物发育过程中功能机制的策略。
